Billy Connolly has Parkinson's

Sir Bob Geldof said his friend Billy Connolly is "as strong as an ox" and backed the comedian not to be deterred by the initial stages of Parkinson's disease and his surgery for prostate cancer.

Sir Bob told Channel 5 News: "Pam [his wife] and Bill are great mates. He’s as strong as an ox mentally from everything he’s been through as a kid. So I don’t think this will deter him from being that individual that we know.”

Billy Connolly, who is being treated for the "initial symptoms" of Parkinson's Disease, admitted earlier this year that he had started to forget lines during performances.

Speaking about it, he said: "This is f*****g terrifying. I feel like I'm going out of my mind."

There is no cure for the disease but symptoms can be controlled using a combination of drugs, therapies and occasionally surgery.

Actor Bob Hoskins announced his retirement last year after being diagnosed with the disease.

Billy Connolly was born in Glasgow in 1942 and after leaving school he worked in the shipyards and later joined the Territorial Army.

He learned how to play the banjo and joined a band called the Humblebums, which featured Gerry Rafferty, who later recorded the song Baker Street.

Connolly told jokes between songs and later became a full-time comedian with one of his major breakthroughs coming after an appearance on chat show Parkinson in the early 1970s.

As well as comedy, he has also turned his hand to acting with roles in The Last Samurai and the forthcoming film The Hobbit: There and Back Again.

Connolly is also known for his charity work with frequent appearances on Comic Relief - including one year when he streaked through central London.

The comedian was made a CBE in 2003 and was awarded the freedom of his home city in 2010.

Comic and actor Billy Connolly has undergone surgery for prostate cancer and is being treated for the "initial symptoms" of Parkinson's Disease, according to a spokeswoman for the star.